Earlier this month, Tyler Christopher took home his first Daytime Emmy award. Now, the actor is stepping away from the show for an undisclosed amount of time.

In a surprising development, Emmy winner Tyler Christopher (Nikolas Cassadine) is exiting General Hospital -- but it is reportedly only for a short time. Soap alum Nick Stabile (ex-Mark, Sunset Beach) will step in for Christopher.

ABC confirmed the news in a brief statement, but a rep for the show could not confirm how long Christopher will be offscreen nor when the actor swap will take place on-screen.

Daytime Confidential first reported on Christopher's exit, saying that the actor had been "enduring lengthy contract negotiations" with General Hospital and requested time off for "personal reasons."

Christopher originated the role of Nikolas Cassadine in 1996. Three years later, he exited GH, and Stephen Martines (then known as Coltin Scott) took over. Christopher returned in April 2003 and once again exited when he was let go in 2011. Christopher returned full-time to GH in 2013.

Stabile has been a go-to guy once before. He filled in for Justin Hartley (ex-Fox Crane, Passions; now Adam Newman, The Young and the Restless) when Hartley was on paternity leave from Passions.